Rain too much of a good thing for some farmers

Farmer Roy Brown, of Brown's Farm in Orange Heights, walks alongside a field of recently planted sweet corn Thursday, August 22, 2013. Brown said he's undergone several plantings of various crops because they haven't taken root because of too much rain.

Published: Tuesday, August 27, 2013 at 6:01 a.m.

Last Modified: Monday, August 26, 2013 at 7:17 p.m.

Roy Brown looked up at the slate-colored, cloud-heavy sky Thursday morning and repeated what he has been saying all summer: "There's always tomorrow."

Farmers are forever at the whims of nature, and July's record rainfall has brought that point home in Alachua County, which received 16.65 inches, breaking a record set in 1909 of 16.41 inches. This July was the second-wettest month since records have been kept; the wettest was September 1894, according to the National Weather Service.

In June and July, Alachua County received 24 inches of rain, about half of the average yearly rainfall. Things have slowed down in August, but Brown's Farm in Orange Heights, started by Roy's father in 1957, is still feeling the effects of the July rain.

"The land's been too wet to establish any crops," Brown said. A week ago, he planted beans, but that night it rained 2 inches, so he suspects he'll get to harvest only half of the crop.

He also has had to replant sweet corn because the rain wiped out the newly planted crop.

"If we catch 2-3 inches over the weekend, it will be too late" to harvest the early fall crop, he said, adding that his sub-surface drainage system — in only certain parts of his fields — helps drain some of the water.

Brown's 40-some, water-logged acres tell the story of many farmers throughout the county whose fields have been inundated with water. While irrigation systems help remedy drought, too much rain causes a host of problems without easy solutions.

For one, it stymies hay production. Alachua County is the state's third-highest producer of hay, with more than 27,000 acres of it, said Cindy Sanders, the Alachua County extension director with the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences at the University of Florida.

Summer is prime time for hay production, but the ground has been too wet for farmers to take their equipment into the fields and roll hay bundles for storage; and if bundled hay does get wet, it gets moldy, Sanders explained.

Excessive moisture also can contribute to crop diseases and insects attacking row crops such as peanuts, Sanders said.

"We've seen an increase in diseases for peanuts and cotton," she said.

Because of this, farmers have to spend more money on pesticides, which decreases overall crop quality, said professor Kenneth Quesenberry, the interim chair of the agronomy department at UF.

Quesenberry said excess moisture also leaches nutrients from the soil, weakening overall yield.

Economic impact of rainfall

To stave off the economic effects of poorer yields and crops that are literally wiped out by the rain, Brian Hofer, an agricultural banker with PNC Financial Services, said he advises farmers to manage their debt, have crop insurance and build up their cash reserves in preparation for possible seasonal problems.

"It may be that they have to take an inventory of assets (equipment) and determine which pieces are necessary and which are excess and worth selling," Hofer said.

He also encourages farmers to diversify their crops.

"Most farms have different crop rotations," Hofer said. "They generally don't focus on one crop to alleviate some of the stress that a bad weather condition like this causes."

He added that those farmers who do plant a significant portion of summer crops "could see 40-50 percent of their farming operation lost."

But not all farmers are losing out to the rain, Hofer said. "It's difficult to make a statement that the rainy season is detrimental to all growers — it can help others as well. Some farmers have had a really good harvest with regards to watermelon. Most times farmers are dealing with a timing issue."

Sanders added that the heavy summer rainfall might bode well for the fall.

"The good thing about it is that we'll go into the fall wetter than normal. Hopefully, some of this moisture will still be around," she said.

But Brown is still trying to work with the ground at hand. "The most frustrating thing for my heart is that the market value for produce is the highest it's ever been, and I can't produce it," he said.

Brown has a variety of customers, including some local CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture, in which customers often pay in advance, thus sharing the risk with the farmers). He has a small roadside building where he sells directly to consumers. It has a sign out front advertising white-acre peas, but he wonders if he'll have any to sell. Still, Brown, who has been farming for 40 years, isn't giving up now.

"Farmers are a passionate group," he said. "We can feed the world. One day at a time."

<p>Roy Brown looked up at the slate-colored, cloud-heavy sky Thursday morning and repeated what he has been saying all summer: "There's always tomorrow."</p><p>Farmers are forever at the whims of nature, and July's record rainfall has brought that point home in Alachua County, which received 16.65 inches, breaking a record set in 1909 of 16.41 inches. This July was the second-wettest month since records have been kept; the wettest was September 1894, according to the National Weather Service.</p><p>In June and July, Alachua County received 24 inches of rain, about half of the average yearly rainfall. Things have slowed down in August, but Brown's Farm in Orange Heights, started by Roy's father in 1957, is still feeling the effects of the July rain.</p><p>"The land's been too wet to establish any crops," Brown said. A week ago, he planted beans, but that night it rained 2 inches, so he suspects he'll get to harvest only half of the crop.</p><p>He also has had to replant sweet corn because the rain wiped out the newly planted crop.</p><p>"If we catch 2-3 inches over the weekend, it will be too late" to harvest the early fall crop, he said, adding that his sub-surface drainage system — in only certain parts of his fields — helps drain some of the water.</p><p>Brown's 40-some, water-logged acres tell the story of many farmers throughout the county whose fields have been inundated with water. While irrigation systems help remedy drought, too much rain causes a host of problems without easy solutions.</p><p>For one, it stymies hay production. Alachua County is the state's third-highest producer of hay, with more than 27,000 acres of it, said Cindy Sanders, the Alachua County extension director with the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences at the University of Florida.</p><p>Summer is prime time for hay production, but the ground has been too wet for farmers to take their equipment into the fields and roll hay bundles for storage; and if bundled hay does get wet, it gets moldy, Sanders explained.</p><p>Excessive moisture also can contribute to crop diseases and insects attacking row crops such as peanuts, Sanders said.</p><p>"We've seen an increase in diseases for peanuts and cotton," she said.</p><p>Because of this, farmers have to spend more money on pesticides, which decreases overall crop quality, said professor Kenneth Quesenberry, the interim chair of the agronomy department at UF.</p><p>Quesenberry said excess moisture also leaches nutrients from the soil, weakening overall yield.</p><p> </p><p><b>Economic impact of rainfall</b></p><p>To stave off the economic effects of poorer yields and crops that are literally wiped out by the rain, Brian Hofer, an agricultural banker with PNC Financial Services, said he advises farmers to manage their debt, have crop insurance and build up their cash reserves in preparation for possible seasonal problems.</p><p>"It may be that they have to take an inventory of assets (equipment) and determine which pieces are necessary and which are excess and worth selling," Hofer said.</p><p>He also encourages farmers to diversify their crops.</p><p>"Most farms have different crop rotations," Hofer said. "They generally don't focus on one crop to alleviate some of the stress that a bad weather condition like this causes."</p><p>He added that those farmers who do plant a significant portion of summer crops "could see 40-50 percent of their farming operation lost."</p><p>But not all farmers are losing out to the rain, Hofer said. "It's difficult to make a statement that the rainy season is detrimental to all growers — it can help others as well. Some farmers have had a really good harvest with regards to watermelon. Most times farmers are dealing with a timing issue."</p><p>Sanders added that the heavy summer rainfall might bode well for the fall.</p><p>"The good thing about it is that we'll go into the fall wetter than normal. Hopefully, some of this moisture will still be around," she said.</p><p>But Brown is still trying to work with the ground at hand. "The most frustrating thing for my heart is that the market value for produce is the highest it's ever been, and I can't produce it," he said.</p><p>Brown has a variety of customers, including some local CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture, in which customers often pay in advance, thus sharing the risk with the farmers). He has a small roadside building where he sells directly to consumers. It has a sign out front advertising white-acre peas, but he wonders if he'll have any to sell. Still, Brown, who has been farming for 40 years, isn't giving up now.</p><p>"Farmers are a passionate group," he said. "We can feed the world. One day at a time."</p><p><i>Contact Kristine Crane at 338-3119 or kristine.crane@gvillesun.com.</i></p>